


Chamomile Tea

by Caffinated_Story



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Gen, Other, bonding over almost dying, death bros, half dead and still bitter, set in the future - where we hope for a redemption arc for Gabe, tea fixes everything
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-04
Updated: 2017-08-04
Packaged: 2018-12-11 01:46:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 676
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11704251
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Caffinated_Story/pseuds/Caffinated_Story
Summary: Healing isn't easy. It takes a lot of time.Sometimes warmth is all you can feel.





	Chamomile Tea

**Author's Note:**

> This was originally posted on [my Tumblr](http://caffinatedstory.tumblr.com/post/155902860019/chamomile-tea). Based on [this great picture](http://kingsdarga.tumblr.com/post/153286256745/i-just-want-them-to-bond-over-kinda-dying/) by [Kingsdarga](http://kingsdarga.tumblr.com/). Please check out their blog and art if you haven't already!

“What do you want?” Gabriel’s voice is rough and ragged, as if his vocal cords are being stretched and torn for every word he speaks.

“I got you some tea,” Genji replies with a smile, placing the teapot and cups gently down on the table.

Gabriel studies them with critical eyes, slightly twitching as his eyes momentarily loses focus.  
“Why? I can’t taste shit,” he grumbles angrily.

“Well,” Genji shrugs and pulls out a chair for himself. “You still feel a little, right?”

“Mostly pain” Gabriel mutters.

“Tea is warm. Even if you can’t taste it, it helps to hold and drink something warm.” Genji carefully pours them both a cup and hands one to Gabriel with a small smile.

“Trust me. It helps.”

“Piss off,” Gabriel says with a deep grimace, parts of his skin fluctuates between black fog and solid dark skin as his anger flares up and then fades away again.

“Won’t kill you any more to drink it,” Genji laughs softly and takes a sip of his own tea.  
There’s no real reason for choosing green tea with chamomile, but Genji likes to imagine it still has calming properties.  
Placebo effect or not, it helps.

“What would you kno–” Gabriel cuts himself off and stares at the tea in embarrassment.

“Same but different story, same but different results,” Genji shrugs. “So I think we both know what dying feels like.”

“You’re too young to preach to me,” Gabriel mumbles.

“Age doesn’t dictate wisdom,” Genji replies and cups his hands around his cup. It’s not much, but there’s some sensation of warmth there, and that helps a lot.

Gabriel doesn’t reply, but from the corner of his eye, Genji catches him doing the same.

His shoulders appear to fall slightly, no longer as tense and on guard as before.

Gabriel takes a hesitant sip of the tea, and Genji can’t help but smile when he hears the faint sound of a satisfied sigh.

“Thank you,” Gabriel whispers gruffly.

“You’re welcome,” Genji smiles. “If you want I can bring some matcha next time. I’ve heard it’s very good for detoxing your systems. But I’ve yet to figure out if it works for us with more metal than flesh,” he laughs.

“Probably as effective as those anti scar creams…”

“Hey, don’t knock it till you’ve tried it,” Genji laughs and reaches for the teapot to refill his own cup. “If not there’s always plastic surgery.”

“You saying I’m ugly?” Gabriel turns to look at him and for a moment Genji feels a sliver of fear run through him.

“We’re both ugly,” Genji replies and traces one of his many facial scars with one finger. “There are horror stories about us, I’m sure.”

“Ha!” Gabriel laughs shortly and roughly, covering his mouth with one hand to stop Genji from seeing the way his skin appears to melt off face when he moves too fast.  
“That’s probably true for me…” He adds, slowly removing his hand again.

“Well I heard a story about how you saved some little brat from a life in prison,” Genji traces the rim of his cup with his fingers, feeling the warmth slowly seep into his body. “That sounds like a hero and not a monster to me.”

“Brat is right,” Gabriel snorts and Genji catches a glimpse of a genuine smile.

“So you’re not all bad,” Genji laughs.

“Just mostly,”

“Time fixes a lot of things, just because you’ve done bad doesn’t mean you have to continue that path. There’s options,”

“You sound like that monk,” Gabriel sneers.

“Thank you,” Genji beams. “I try.”

“That wasn’t a compliment…” Gabriel mutters.

“I will choose to see it as one,” Genji hums happily and motions to the cup in Gabriel’s hands. “But what do you say? More tea?”

Gabriel stares at the cup for quite some time, gritting his teeth and grimacing before he finally replies.  
“Sure… it’s warm.”

“Told you so,” Genji laughs and fills Gabriel’s cup up again.

It’s a start.  
A small one.  
But every recovery has to begin somewhere.


End file.
